16TEARS FORMED IN Nora’s eyes as she spooned the congee from the small plastic bowl. There were several reasons for the tears: the smoke from the hot congee that filled her eyes, the first spoonful of the soft, chewy rice that she put in her mouth and scalded her tongue and then there was also the pleasure of eating such a tasty breakfast, which she couldn’t remember ever having since she was younger. But Nora didn’t care which of these things caused her to cry. What she was minding now was the fluid that almost dripped from her nose to the bowl, a consequence of her weeping. She immediately wiped it with the back of her hand before King could see it drip into her food. But when Nora glanced at King to her right, whose bowed head almost touched the edge of the soup bowl, she saw that he to
